IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science (IOSR-JNHS) e-ISSN: 2320–1959.p- ISSN: 2320–1940 Volume 8, Issue 1 Ser. VII. (Jan. - Feb .2019), PP 51-56 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/1959-0801075156 www.iosrjournals.org 51 | Page The Knowledge and Attitude of Nurses in the Implementation of Atraumatic Care in Hospitalized Children in Indonesia Henny Suzana Mediani 1 , Sri Hendrawati 2 ,NisaNur Shidqi 3 1 (Associate Professor of Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing UniversitasPadjadjaran Indonesia 2 (Lecturer of Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing UniversitasPadjadjaranIndonesia 3 (Undergraduate Nursing Student, Faculty of Nursing UniversitasPadjadjaran Indonesia) Corresponding Author: Henny SuzanaMediani Abstract :Hospitalization can become a crisis that a child encounter, not just from their injury but from the experience. In providing nursing care to pediatric patients, nurses need to concentrate on family-centered care and atraumatic care. However, there is no information how nurses in Indonesia implementing atraumatic care to the hospitalized children. This study aim was to identify the knowledge and attitude of nurses in the application of atraumatic care. This is a quantitative descriptive study, involving all 72 nurses working at the pediatric inpatient ward Dr. Slamet General Hospital Garut Indonesia. The instruments utilized in this research consist of modified questionnaires on nurses’ knowledge and attitude of atraumatic care and its implementation. The data were analyzed by means of frequency distribution and percentages. Results of this study indicated that the knowledge of nurses in the application of atraumatic care on hospitalized children was moderate (50%), and the majority of nurses (89%) displayed supportive attitudes in this respect. It can be concluded that overall, the nurses already have adequate knowledge about atraumatic care, and most of them show favorable attitudes in its performance. However, in order to be optimal in providing care to hospitalized children the hospital must provide atraumatic care training for nurses, and standard operational procedures that can help the nurses to implement atraumatic care and minimize the impact of hospitalized children. Keywords:Atraumatic care, children, hospitalization, knowledge and attitude of nurses. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 23-01-2019 Date of acceptance: 07-02-2019 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction Hospitalization can become a disquieting and traumatic experience for children (1, 2). The way children react to such situation until reverting to a stable state depends on their age and experience (1). Price and Gwin(3) stated that hospital rules and routines, undergone medical procedures such as bedrest, intravenous (IV) infusion, and other measures greatly disrupt the freedom and independence of children in their developing stages, to the extent that they feel uncomfortable with their condition. Hospitalized children have faced increasingly severe problems year by year, including in the percentage of treated children. In the United States, it is projected that more than five million children have been hospitalized, 50% of whom suffer from hospitalization-related anxiety and stress. In Indonesia, the child hospitalization rate is estimated at 35 per 100 (4). Hospitalization may yield both positive and negative impacts to pediatric patients, that is related to age, past experiences with diseases, children’s acceptance of their circumstances, their coping skills, and the present support system form their parents (1, 5, 6).Previous study conducted by Jannah (7) indicated that hospitalization stress commonly occurs due to anxiety, ominous hospital atmosphere, hospital routines, painful procedures, and fear of death. Rokach(2) explained that hospitalized children commonly display their emotional reactions by crying, showing anger, acting aggressively, staying silent when greeted by nurses, and refusing to eat. Physical reactions that may emerge are sleeping difficulties, digestive problems (nausea, vomiting, stomachache), and unrest during treatment. In treating children, nurses need to adhere to a nursing philosophy that focuses on family-centered and atraumatic care (5, 8). Atraumatic care is a therapeutic method that does not induce trauma in children and their families, in that the treatment strives to prevent trauma and maximize children’s growth and development throughout their stay at the hospital (5, 8).Hospitalized children may cry or feel anxious, irate, hurt, etc. when undergoing a traumatizing event, which if overlooked could psychologically harm them and hamper their development. Hence, atraumatic care is one form of pediatric nursing that minimizes the detrimental impact of hospitalization. Hockenberry et al(8) denoted that the essentials which nurses need to perform are, among others: (1) mitigating or curbing the effect of separation from family, (2) raising parents’ ability to control their child’s